Developments have been made in forming and packaging multistrand roving of glass fibers or filaments but difficulties have been encountered in maintaining the strands of fibers or filaments from crisscrossing when they have been separated into linear strands or groups by a splitting comb-like shoe and breakage of the filaments is encountered when certain filaments are engaged by the tip portions of the projections or teeth of the splitting shoe. Such difficulties interrupt the attenuation of glass streams to fibers and substantial downtime is required in restarting the processing operations. U.S. patents to Klink et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,365,145 and 3,371,877 are examples of methods and apparatus in forming multistrand rovings of glass fibers or filaments wherein the glass fibers or filaments are directly attenuated from glass streams flowing from a glass stream feeder or bushing. U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,145 discloses a method and apparatus wherein streams of glass flowing from orifices of a stream feeder or bushing are attenuated into continuous fibers or filaments by winding a roving of the fibers or filaments into a package. The filaments of the group are engaged with an applicator and size or coating material transferred onto the filaments. At a region below the applicator the filaments are separated or segregated into groups or strands of filaments by teeth or projections of a comb-like guide, the groups of strands forming a roving. The roving is traversed lengthwise of a winding machine collet wherein the strands forming the roving are maintained in side-by-side relation in band-like formation as the roving is wound into a package. Arranged adjacent each end of the package is a pin engaged by the strands of the roving which pins compact the strands so that a square end package of roving is formed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,877 discloses a method and apparatus for attenuating streams of glass into fibers or filaments and winding a roving of the fibers or filaments into a package which method and apparatus are similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,365, 145. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,877 the attenuated filaments are engaged with an applicator and size or coating material transferred onto the filaments. At a region below the applicator, the filaments are separated or segregated into groups of filaments or strands by teeth or projections of a comb-like guide. Disposed below the first guide is a second comb-like guide having teeth or projections spaced to accommodate the strands separated by the first guide. The second comb-like guide is disposed so as to divert the strands through substantially ninety degrees. The multistrand roving is then wound into a package whereby the strands are maintained in side-by-side relation throughout the package. Arranged adjacent each end of the package is an abutment engaged by the roving which abutments compact the strands whereby a square end package of roving is formed.
In these known methods of separating attenuated filaments of glass or like materials a comb-like guide having a series of spaced projections or teeth is manually used by an operator for splitting or separating the filaments into strands in forming a roving.